Adaptive Case Management and the Investigation Process

Technology, such as case management software, plays a huge role in conducting a successful workplace investigation.

Posted by Joe Gerard in Article on March 1st, 2011

Technology, such as case management software, plays a huge role in conducting a successful workplace investigation. We’ve come across organizations that have no formal structure for handling employee complaints/allegations or the investigation process that often follows. Others use Excel spreadsheets or other clunky systems to manage investigations, but this simply isn’t working for them. These people are the ones who realize that there’s got to be an easier way to manage incoming allegations and investigations in a single location – and they are right.

Adapting to Change

Adaptive case management software addresses many of the challenges investigators face, as every investigation follows a different path. While the overarching tasks of an investigation are somewhat the same – collect evidence, conduct interviews, report on findings, etc.; the path to get there and the types of information you need to obtain aren’t necessarily the same each time. It’s these differences that make it necessary for case management software to be built around the user and allow them to make changes and become involved in how the software works. Because there’s such a dependence on the human part of the investigation, I think some people struggle with recognizing how technology can help.

Do More in Less Time – And With Less Money

[isight-ad]Case management software gets rid of time consuming tasks. This helps organizations save money, as more cases are closed in a shorter period of time thanks to intuitive case management software tools. Think about these questions:

How much time do you spend inputting the same information into different sections in an investigation case file or report?

How much time is spent following up, emailing and checking in on investigators?

How many times have you been out of the office and needed access to the most recent information in a case file?

Case management software reduces the time spent doing all of these tasks. Automation is key. For example, email is a feature built into i-Sight. You can send emails to other investigators or people assigned to the case from within the case file. You can also distribute reports from within the system. Rather than emailing out monthly, quarterly or annual reports, the people who need them can subscribe to them, so that they are automatically sent the report once it’s ready – you don’t have to do it manually.

Every activity that happens in a case file is automatically documented and includes the date it was done and the person who did it. This feature keeps everyone up to date and investigation managers can quickly login to monitor case progress. This feature, along with the software being web-based keeps out of office investigators in the know and up to speed on investigations as they progress.

The different sections in the case file often require certain pieces of information to be entered more than once – especially when it comes to preparing the investigation report. Understanding that time is often scarce for investigators, case management software can be easily integrated with existing systems such as HR databases to pull employee information into the case file. This also ensures that employee information is always up to date. When creating an investigation report, the report writing wizard allows investigators to drag and drop the sections of the case file that are needed to complete the report so that you don’t have to waste time rewriting everything you just documented. Accurate reports are created in minutes and the investigation report template ensures that nothing is left out. Different templates can be created for different types of investigations, once again, harnessing the flexibility of case management software.

Joe Gerard

CEO, i-Sight

Spend my days showing off the i-Sight investigative case management software and finding ways to help clients improve their investigations. Usually working with corporate security, HR & employee relations, compliance and legal teams.